Collapsible saw for cutting concrete and the like



A ril 26, 1949.

w. H. LEWIS 2,468,336 COLLAPSIBLE SAW FOR CUTTING CONCRETE AND THE LIKE2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 11, 1947 m INVENTOR: jyzusl'lea ir 52zdzzzlbw ATTORNEY April 26, 1949. w. H wgs 2,468,336

- COLLAPSIBLE SAW FOR CUTTING CONCRETE AND THE LIKE Filed March 11, 19472 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR: Wpllzam Ens-71811211;-

Patented Apr. 26, 1949 UNI PAT ENTI OFFICE:

COLLAPSIBLE SAW FOR CUTTING CONCRETE AND THE LIKE W'illiam Hurst Lewis,Altadena,'Califi Application March 11, 1947, Serial No. 733,849

12 Claims.

This invention relates to cutting machines, and

particularly to a mobile machine: adapted for use:

in cutting concrete, asphalt; andlike pavements, driveways, walkways;etc'." Specificallw the. in-

vention pertains to -a -mobile -ma-chineadapted to cut sllts or 'kerfsin the surface of orthrough slabs of concrete and the like;

One object oftheinventionis..to provide a.

machine; of. the character referred to, employing a rotarydisc cutterelement. for cutting a kerf' inthe concrete, andi-having a. novel meansfor adjusting the cutter :element 1. vertically to vary the. depth of.the cutimade by the element.

Another object1=.is;to' provideiai-machine of the type :indicated'in:.which the. frame ofthe machine. is 1 pivoted on a :horizontal:axis; to adjust the vertical position :of theecutter -element; which isrotatableon the-frame;-

Another :object is .to'. providea machine. of the type. specified having.a pair of main-front wheels and a rear wheel, which support themachineto adaptit tov be moved: alongthe surface of the concrete ina'straightline, themachine also havingzcaster means. for supporting therear-end when .the cutter element iscnot, in use, thereby.

permitting. the machine to :be movedin curved paths to facilitate.locatingv the machine inlposi tion .to commence. a cutting; operation;

Another object is. to provide .a .mobile cutting machine in which theframe is constructed in.

twoparts pivoted together: toadaptthe cutter element to be movedvertically"into'andxout' of engagement with the concrete :to be cut and.to simultaneously raise and lower therear wheel,.

the pivoting of the parts "of the frame-beingaccomplished by theactuation of a manuallyoperable means which'is adapted to belocked-invariouspositions'of adjustment;

Another object is to provide, in a machin of the class referred-to,means for guiding the machine in a predetermined path during thecutting.

operation.

Further objects of the invention-are set forth inthe followingspecification; which describes a preferred construction of' themachine,by way of example, as illustrated in the'accompanying drawings: In thedrawings-:-

Fig. LB 21, side viewof the cutting machine, showing therelationshipofits"- parts duringa cutting operation;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view ofthe sameythe sectionbeing takenon-the line 22 of v Fig. 1;

Fig. '3 is a plan "view-of the 'frontendof the:

2 Fig. 4 is a'view-similar to Fig. 1, and showing the parts in-theirinoperative positions; and,

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the frame pivot means, taken on line5-5 of Fig.4.

In the constructing of roadways, especially those made from pouredconcrete, it is the usual practice to provide spaced grooves in theconcrete for the purpose of producing weakened places along which theconcrete will crack, if at all, due to frost and other conditions.

pediting the building of the roadway, and e1imi--- nating specialequipment heretofore deemed necessary; The cutting machine may also beused-as a means for cutting concrete roadways, walkways, and iioors intopieces capable of being easily-removed whenthe concrete is to be tornup, for example, when aditch is to be dug-beneath the highwayfor thepurpose of installing conduits,'etc.

Referring to the-drawings in detail, the machinecomprises a main-framel0, in'the form of-a substantially rectangular plate. Secured to thelower'surface ofthe-frame mare bearingmembers Ii in' which a transverseaxle l2 is adapted to rotate, the axle carrying-a-pair 'of wheels l3 forsupportingthe frame above the road or other surface and permitting themachine to be propelled alongthe'surface. The rearwardend'of the frame'member i0 'is bifurcated (Fig; 5) to provide-bearings in which atransverse pivot rod I5 is'rotatable'.-' Secured'to the rod 1 5 isanauxiliary frame it which includes opposite arms l'l' which-carry a rearaxle l8 onwhich a rear wheel Zllis rotatable. A connecting strip 2|extending between the arms H supports a swivable caster wheel 22 on itslower side:

Also secured-to the pivot rod- 55 are the opposite' side members 2 30fan inverted-u shaped handle 25 which projects upwardly from' the frame8; A'tanlc 26 iscarried-by the handle 25 and supported also by abracket/2? on the frame I6, the tank being adapted to-contain a supplyof'coolant, such-as water,- which is used for the purpose to behereinafter explained.-

The forming ofthe grooves is accomplished by the use of Rotatable inbearings 28 at the forward end of the main frame Ill is a shaft 29 towhich is removably secured a cutter element 30. As shown in Fig. 2, thecutter element 30 is disposed laterally outward from the left-hand wheell3 of the vehicle so that it can be utilized to cut concrete close to acurbing, or other obstruction. A semi-circular guard 32 carried by theframe ll] encloses the upper portion of the cutter element 30. Thecutter element 39 may be of any type suitable for cutting concrete,asphalt, and the like, and therefore is not herein described in detail.The coolant contained in the tank 26 is supplied to a nozzle 33 whichdirects a stream thereof against the cutter element 30 to cool the sameand wash away the cuttings. The coolant may be conducted to the nozzle33 by way of a flexible conduit 33 having a regulating valve 35.

The cutter element 39 is adapted to be rotated at a fast rate of speedfrom a source of power, such as the internal combustion engine 38 hereinshown. The drive-shaft 39 of the engine carries pulley 3B, which isadapted to drive smaller pulleys M on the shaft 29 through the medium ofV-belts 42.

Guiding means are provided for guiding the vehicle in a predetermined ordesired path. The guiding means consists of a U-shaped arm 44 pivoted atthe forward end of the main frame l and projecting forwardly therefrom.At its forward end, the arm 44 carries a swiveled caster wheel 45adapted to rest upon and roll along the surface of the concrete. The arm44 also has a bearing 41 at its forward end in which a transverseguide-rod 48 is adjustably held by means of a set screw 49. The rod 48has a guide-finger 59, the end of which is adapted to be maintained inclose proximity with a line on the concrete along which a groove or kerfis to be cut, as shown in Fig. 3. The finger 50 may also be disposed ina previously cut groove to guide the vehicle in a path parallel to saidgroove to form a second parallel groove 52.

Due to the pivotal connection between the main and auxiliary framemembers In and 16, these members may be relatively pivoted in the mannerillustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 to raise and lower the cutter element 30and to raise and lower the rear wheel 20. The members In and is arerelatively pivoted by means next described. Attached to and projectingupwardly from the main frame l0, forwardly of the axle I2, is a standard55, at the upper end of which is a pin 56 on which is pivoted one end ofan operating or adjusting member 51. The member 51 extends rearwardlybetween the sides of the U-shaped handle 25 and has a hand-grip 58 atits end. On its lower edge, the member 51 has a series of closely spacednotches 59 and a single notch 60 spaced forwardly from the series ofnotches 59. The notches 59 and 60 are adapted to register with andreceive a detent projection 62 carried by a bracket 63 attached to thehandle 25. A roller 64 is held in engagement with the upper edge of theadjusting member 51 by means of springs 65, and serves to maintain thedetent projection 62 in locking engagement in the notches 59 and 60.

The mobile cutting machine operates in the following manner: To move thevehicle to a location where a cutting operation is to be performed, theparts of the machine will be adjusted to the position shown in Fi 4.That is to say, the detent projection 62 will be engaged in the foremostnotch 60 of the member 51, so that the forward end of the main frame It]will be 4 elevated to dispose the cutter element 30 above and out ofengagement with the surface ill of the concrete. In this position ofadjustment, the rear pivotal end of the frame I9 is lowered to cause therear wheel 20 to be elevated above the surface Ill, and the caster wheel22 will engage the surface. The vehicle thus may be pushed along thesurface 19, with front wheels l3 and the caster wheel 22 rolling uponthe surface. Due to this three-wheel mounting, the vehicle may bereadily steered in desired curved paths. During movement of the vehiclein this manner, the guiding means 44-50 is pivoted upwardly to theinoperative position, shown in Fig. 4.

After the vehicle has been moved to the location where a groove or kerfis to be cut, the guiding means is lowered and its finger 50, togetherwith the cutter element 30, aligned with a line along which the grooveis to be cut. Holding the handle 25 with one hand, the adjusting member51 is raised with the other hand and moved forwardly to cause the frameI'll to be pivoted on the axle l2 in a direction to lower the cutterelement 30 into engagement with the surface ill of the concrete. Withthe engine 38 operating, the cutter may be lowered to an extent whereinit cuts into the concrete, the depth to which the cutter descends beingdetermined by the setting of the adjusting member 51 with respect to thehandle 25, and the parts are then locked in the adjusted position by theengagement of the projection 62 in the appropriate notch 59. It will beobserved that during the lowering of the cutter element 30, the rear endof the frame it is raised to withdraw the caster wheel 22 from thesurface 19 and place the rear wheel 20 thereagainst, as shown in Fig. 1.The vehicle then may be pushed along the roadway, by means of the handle25, to cause its rap'idly rotating cutter element 30 to cut a groove Hin the concrete, as shown in Fig. 1.

After the kerf H has been cut to the required length, the adjustingmember 51 is pulled rearwardly and the handle 25 simultaneously pushedforwardly until the projection 62 is disposed in the notch 60, towithdraw the cutter element 39 from the concrete and to again cause themachine to rest upon the wheels l3 and caster wheel 22 to facilitate itsbeing moved to a new location.

While I have herein shown and described the mobile cutting machine, asembodied in a preferred form of construction, by way of example, it isto be understood that modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, withoutlimiting myself in this respect, I claim:

1. In a mobile cutting machine for cutting kerfs in concrete, and thelike, the combination of: a main frame having a transverse axle; mainWheels on said axle to adapt said machine to be moved along the surfaceof the concrete to be cut; an auxiliary frame pivotally connected tosaid main frame rearwardly of said axle; a rear wheel rotatable on saidauxiliary frame and adapted to roll along said surface; a caster alsorotatable on said auxiliary frame; a cutter element rotatable on saidmain frame forwardly of said axle and adapted to cut a kerf in saidconcrete; power means on said main frame for rotating said cutterelement; and pivoting means for relatively pivoting said main andauxiliary frames, relative pivotal movement of said frames in onedirection causing the forward end of said main frame to descend to causesaid cutter element to engage the concrete and to maintain said casterelevated above said surface, and relative pivotal movement of saidframes in the opposite direction acting to raise the forward end of saidmain frame to dispose said cutter element above said surface, and toraise said rear wheel above said surface and engage said caster againstsaid surface to adapt the machine to be moved along said surface whilesupported by said main wheels and said caster.

2. In a mobile cutting machine for cutting lcerfs in concrete, and thelike, the combination of: frame having a transverse axle; main wheels onsaid axle to adapt said machine to be moved along the surface of theconcrete to be cut; an auxiliary frame pivotally connected to said mainframe rearwardly of said axle; a rear wheel rotatable on said auxiliaryframe and adapted to roll along said surface; a caster also rotatable onsaid auxiliary frame forwardly of said rear whee; cutter elementrotatable on said main frame forwardly of said axle and adapted to cut alrerf in said concrete; power means on said main frame for rotating saidcutter element; pivoting means for relatively pivoting said main andauxiliary frames, relative pivotal movement of said frames in onedirection causing the forward end of said main frame to descend to causesaid cutter element to engage the concrete and to maintain said casterelevated above said surface, and relative pivotal movement of saidframes in the opposite direction acting to raise the forward end of saidmain frame to dispose said cutter element above said surface and toraise said rear wheel above said surface and engage said caster againstsaid surface to adapt the machine to be moved along said surface whilesupported by said main wheels and said caster.

3. In a mobile cuttin machine for cutting kerfs in concrete, and thelike, the combination of: a main frame having a transverse axle; mainwheels on said axle to adapt said machine to be moved along the surfaceof the concrete to be cut; an auxiliary frame pivotally connected tosaid main frame rearwardly of said axle; a rear wheel rotatable on saidauxiliary frame and adapted to roll along said surface; a caster alsorotatable on said auxiliary frame forwardly of said rear wheel; a cutterelement rotatable on said main frame forwardly of said axle and adaptedto cut a kerf in said concrete; power means on said main frame forrotating said outter element; pivoting means for relatively pivotingsaid main and auxiliary frames, relative pivotal movement of said framesin one direction causing the forward end of said main frame to descendto cause said cutter element to engage the concrete and to maintain saidcaster elevated above said surface, and relative pivotal movement ofsaid frames in the opposite direction acting to raise the forward end ofsaid main frame to dispose said cutter element above said surface and toraise said rear wheel above said surface and engage said caster againstsaid surface to adapt the machine to be moved along said surface whilesupported by said main wheels and said caster; and means for retainingsaid main and auxiliary frames in different positions of relativepivotal adjustment.

4. In a mobile cutting machine for cutting kerfs in concrete, and thelike, the combination of: a main frame having a transverse axle; mainwheels on said axle to adapt said machine to be moved along the surfaceof the concrete 5 to be cut; an auxiliary frame pivotallyconn'ected tosaid main frame rearwardly of said axle; a rear wheel rotatable on saidauxiliary frame and adapted to roll along said surface; a caster alsorotatable on said auxiliary frame forwardly of said rear wheel; a cutterelement rotatable on said main frame forwardly of said axle and adaptedto cut a irerf in said concrete; power means on said main frame forrotating said outter element; pivoting means for relatively pivotingsaid main and auxiliary frames, relative pivotal movement of said framesin one direction causing the forward end of said main frame to descendto cause said cutter element to engage the concrete and to maintain saidcaster elevated above said surface, and relative pivotal movement ofsaid frames in the opposite direction acting to raise the forward end ofsaid main frame to dispose said cutter element above said surface and toraise said rear wheel above said surface and engage caster against saidsurface to adapt the machine to be moved along said surface whilesupported by said main wheels and said caster; and manually operabledetent means for retaining said pivoting means in different positions ofadjustment.

5. In a mobile cutting machine for cutting kerfs in concrete, and thelike, the combination of a main frame having a transverse axle; mainwheels on said axle to adapt said machine to be moved along the surfaceof the concrete to be cut; an auxiliary frame pivotally connected tosaid main frame rearwardly of said axle; a rear wheel rotatable on saidauxiliary frame and adapted to roll along said surface; a caster alsorotatable on said auxiliary frame forwardly of said rear wheel; a cutterelement rotatable on said main frame forwardly of said axle and adaptedto cut a kerf in said concrete; power means on said main frame forrotating said cutter element; pivoting means for relatively pivotingsaid main and auxiliary frames, relative pivotal movement of said framesin one direction causing the forward end of said main frame to descendto cause said cutter element to engage the concrete and to maintain saidcaster elevated above said surface, and relative pivotal movement ofsaid frames in the opposite direction acting to raise the forward end ofsaid main frame to dispose said cutter element above said surface and toraise said rear wheel above said surface and engage said caster againstsaid surface to adapt the machine to be moved along said surface whilesupported by said main wheels and said caster; said pivotin meansincluding handle means fixedly connected to said auxiliary frame andprojecting upwardly therefrom, a stanchion fixedly connected to saidmain frame, an adjusting member pivoted at the upper end of saidstanchion and extending rearwardly therefrom, and interengaging means onsaid adjusting memher and said handle means for retaining the same indifferent positions of adjustment.

6. A cutting machine as defined in claim 5 in which said interengagingmeans includes a plurality of longitudinally-spaced slots in saidadjusting member and a projection on said handle means engageable in anyof said slots.

'7. A cutting machine as defined in claim 5 in which said interengagin-gmeans includes a plurality of longitudinally-spaced slots in saidadjusting member, a projection on said handle means engageable in any ofsaid slots, and resilient means operative to retain said projection insaid slots.

8. A cutting machine as defined in claim 5 and including means forsupplying a coolant to said cutter element, said coolant supplying meanscomprising a nozzle disposed adjacent said element and adapted to spraycoolant, a tank carried by said handle means and adapted to contain asupply of coolant, and a conduit for conveying the coolant from saidtank to said nozzle,

9. A cutting machine as defined in claim 1 in which said cutter elementis rotatable in a plane disposed laterally outward from one of said mainwheels.

10. A cutting machine as defined in claim 1 and including guiding meanscarried by said main frame at the forward end thereof and adapted toregister with a prescribed line on the surface of said concrete tofacilitate guiding said machine along said surface.

11. A cutting machine as defined in claim 1 and includinga guiding framecarried by said main frameat the forward end thereon/and a guidingelement carried by and adjustable laterally of said frame and providedwith a finger adapted to register with a prescribed line on the surfaceof said concrete to facilitate guiding said machine along said surface.

12. A cutting machine as defined in claim 1 and including a guidingframe pivotally connected to said main frame at the forward end thereof,roller means at the forward end of said frame and rollable along thesurface of said concrete, and a guiding element carried by andadjustable laterally of said frame and provided with a finger adapted toregister with a prescribed line on or in a groove of said concrete tofacilitate guiding said machine alongsaid surface.

WILLIAM HURST LEWIS.

No references cited.

